ABSTRACT: To broaden critical discussion in the field of information systems beyond current approaches, we look outside the core management discourse and examine the critical element in ethnomethodological research on computer-based work environments. Our examination reveals a form of critique that is above all without irony, seeking always to be respectful of the competence of research subjects, and informed by an in-depth understanding of participantsí practices. We argue that ethnomethodology is an often unrecognised critical approach that attempts to speak from within a community of practice, in some cases offering a critique with clear implications for praxis.